September 16, 2010, 5:00AM

Buckel’s clear, reasoned voice deserves our backing To the Editor: To the public of Onondaga County: Once again, County Legislator Tom Buckel, D-Syracuse, has voiced sense and direction on behalf of our community. In his letter on Sunday, Sept. 12, he laid out information about the overlapping economics of major services and the strains of geographic sprawl with declining... Full story »

September 12, 2010, 5:01AM

By Tom Buckel Onondaga County legislator In 2005, the Onondaga Citizens League studied our local government structures. They warned us. They said if we did not change our ways, we would lose out in the global economy. That taxing and spending would continue. That people would continue to move out. The Onondaga Citizens League rang our collective emergency alarm. Recent... Full story »

August 05, 2010, 5:01AM

Onondaga County Legislator Tom Buckel’s proposal last month to cut the size of the Legislature from 19 members to 13 was a bit too radical for his colleagues. But he’s right to consider the Legislature’s action on Tuesday a victory of sorts. Legislators voted 16-1 (two legislators were absent) to approve a compromise measure sponsored by Chairman James Rhinehart. The... Full story »

July 18, 2010, 5:02AM

If you were tasked with creating a new Onondaga County Legislature from scratch, how many legislators would you choose to represent a county population of some 458,000-plus souls? 38? 24? 19? All three numbers once applied to the Onondaga County Legislature. The venerable 38-member board of supervisors gave way to the 24-member Legislature of the 1960s. Voters approved a... Full story »

February 21, 2010, 5:01AM

By Thomas C. Buckel The Post-Standard asked whether my decision not to run for the state Senate was personal or the result of systemic failures in our state political system. The answer is both. We confronted a long-term incumbent who has more than $700,000 in campaign funds on hand, which presented a formidable obstacle. Most experts believed that it... Full story »

February 09, 2010, 5:06PM

Syracuse, NY - Onondaga County Legislator Tom Buckel, a Democrat, raised about $50,000 for a race against Republican State Sen. John DeFrancisco. Then, he gave it all back. Buckel said Tuesday that he will not run for Senate. He gave a few reasons: Time, fundraising and a question about whether one person could make a difference in Albany. “Issues are... Full story »